March 24, 2011, Filed Under: Theatre + Performing ArtsHarry Houdini slideshow celebrates 137th birthday The Harry Ransom Center owns a collection of materials related to magician Harry Houdini, whose 137th birthday is today. This slideshow highlights some examples of materials in the collection. Parts of the Houdini (1874-1926) collection pertain to the numerous magicians with whom Houdini cultivated personal relationships, but the focus of… read more
March 23, 2011, Filed Under: Theatre + Performing ArtsElizabeth Taylor connections to Ransom Center holdings Actress Elizabeth Taylor, who died today at the age of 79, has connections to the Ransom Center holdings, ranging from the Mel Gussow collection to the Ernest Lehman collection. The former New York Times theater critic Mel Gussow, who died in 2005, wrote Elizabeth Taylor’s obituary. His obituary, with updated… read more
March 17, 2011, Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Theatre + Performing ArtsIn the galleries: The productive, but complicated, relationship between Tennessee Williams and Elia Kazan Among the material in the Ransom Center’s current exhibition, Becoming Tennessee Williams, is a picture of Tennessee Williams holding a photograph of Elia Kazan. Kazan was an American film and theater director, producer, screenwriter, and co-founder of the influential Actors Studio. In his theatrical career, Kazan became one of the… read more
